Willbros Group Inc. (NYSE: WG) announced April 7 it sold certain assets and operations of its downstream businesses to a privately held company.

The sale includes the union refinery maintenance turnaround service line, a related fabrication facility and associated tools and equipment. The service line and fabrication facility being sold are both located near Tulsa, Okla.

The Houston-based company will use proceeds to pay down its term loan debt by $25 million.

"The sale of these downstream assets supports our stated objective to improve our operating performance and financial flexibility. By applying proceeds from this sale to reduce our debt levels, we will continue to decrease our interest expense, improve our liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet. The remaining downstream assets enable us to focus our resources on tank, terminal, heater, fabrication and related services where we have been successful and where the market provides us with significant growth opportunities," Randy Harl, Willbros president and CEO, said in the release.

Willbros is a specialty energy infrastructure contractor serving the oil, gas, refining, petrochemical and power industries.